I learnt a new word today: 'Ground truthing'. I think it means to compare what you think you know, maybe from written information, with what is actually there on the ground. Sometimes you can see contours on a map and imagine how the landscape looks, yet the reality can feel very different, especially out in the elements.
Reading about places, and seeing photos on facebook is one thing - visiting, mooching and noticing is very different. There are so many details, often quirky features, within the Yorkshire Dales that are not really written about or photographed. They're just there, and yet they're remarkable in some way, and uplifting to notice.
I love this compass point above West Scrafton. It's useful and beautiful in its own weathered way. I wonder if there was a meeting to decide to make it and lug it all the way up the hill? How many people have seen it since it was put there, stood and lined up with North and considered the sun's position? Or discussed what lies at the far end of each compass point?
Which are the small details you notice but many others might miss?